Display sign



y 1931. w. B. WILSON 1,803,884

DISPLAY SIGN Filed 001,. 29, 1928 VV/W/am B. W/7s on.

INVENTOR.

7owww $4M ZTTORNEYS.

Patented May 5, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM 3. WILSON, 0]?LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO METLOXCORPORATION, LTD, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

DISPLAY SIGN Application filed October 29, 1928. Serial No. 315,650.

This invention relates to advertising signs and particularly pertains todisplay signs embodying the use of gas tubes as the illuminating medium.

At the present time advertising signs are being extensively used whichemploy illum1- nating tubes carrying the rare gases, and through whichgases a charge of electricity passes to cause the gases to becomeluminous. In the construction of these signs it has been found desirableto build signs having a body of any desired configuration and which bodymay carry advertising subject matter, these signs being outlined by aborder formed by rare gas illuminating tubes which conform to thecontour of the perimeter of the sign.

It has been found, however, that in climates where snow and sleet occurthat these elements often damage the tubes forming the outline and it isthe principal object of the present invention to provide a sign havingprotecting means for the outlimn tubes, but which do not prevent thetubes rom being observed at both sides of the body of the sign wherethey will appear as forming an illuminating outline for the contour ofthe sign body.

The present invention contemplates the use of a sign body of a desiredcontour and which body carries one or more illuminating tubes with therare gases,the configuration of the tubes agreeing with the contour ofthe signbody and uniforml spaced in relation therewith; said si 11 b0 ycarrying an outlining shield mem er bent to the configura tion of thetube and the sign, and uniformly spaced in relation to the tube toprotect the tube without obscuring the view of the illuminating tube asviewed from opposite sides of the sign.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation showing one form of sign in which theinvention may be embodied.

Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation showing the sign of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in transverse section through a fragmentary portion ofthe sign as seen on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4: is a fragmentary view of the transformer box incorporated in thetop of the sign body and being shown as seen on the line 4.4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the tube socket housing at the bottom ofthe sign body as seen on -the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 indicates a supportingmember for a sign. This member may be of any preferred design, but ishere shown as having a horizontally extending pipe 11, supported bystructure brackets 12 of any desired configuration. The complete sign 13is dependent from the hanger 10, and is here shown as connected theretoby a bracket 14 and conduit 15. The bracket is shown as secured to thetop of a transformer box 16, which has end walls 17 and 18 and sidewalls 20 and 21, and over which lie suitable frame members 2223 shown,integral with the walls 1718 and 20 21. These frame members may be cutin any desired configuration and are here shown as forming a shieldshaped 4 sign. The opposite side frame members 22 and. 23 are spacedfrom each other and connected by a side wall 24, which represents theperimeter of the sign body 25.

It is to be understood that the sign body may be constructed with opaquesides which may be indirectly illuminated by exterior lighting fixtures,such as the electric light globe 26, mounted within a suitable reflector27, or the side frame members 22 and 23 may be cut away to form a framestructure as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and which structurewill accommodate translucent panels 28 at the opposite sides of the signbody, the panels being illuminated by electric light globes 29 mountedwithin the sign body and concealed from view. The electric light globesreceive their electrical energy through lead wires 30 and 31 which areled in through the pipe 11 to the conduit 15. These wires then are ledthrough the transformer box to a support 32 for the globes 29. Itwill beunderstood that any number of electric light globes uay be used withinthe sign and that any indicia maybe placed upon the perimeter of thesign body and thus hold the in 15 in tubes in fixed uniform spacedrelation to the sign body. The tubes are preferably formed at their oposite ends with electrodes 36 which are ictionally engaged by contacters 37 of sockets 38. These sockets, as icated in Figs. 4 and 5 of thedrawings, are suitably mounted in the end walls of the transformer box16 at the top of the sign, and a connector box 39 at the bottom of thesign.

The tubes 33 and.34 are filled with a desired rare gas which, whencharged with electricity will produce .an illummation of a colorcharacteristic of the gas used. The current for the tubes is deliveredthrough the lead wires 30 and 31 to wires 40 and 41, which are suitablyconnected'with a transformer 42. One pole of the transformer isconnected to the socket 38 of tube 33 by a conductor 43. The ,currentpasses through the tube 33 to a socket 38 at its lower end. This socketis connected to a complementary lower socket by a conductor 44, afterwhich the current passes along the tube 34 to the upper socket 38 andthence along the wire 45 to the transformer 42.

It will thus be seen that the luminous tubes here shown are in seriesand are on a separate circuit from the electric light lobes 29.

Disposed around the edge 0 the sign body 25 and on the outside of thetubes 33 and 34 is a shield 46. This shield is formed of a strip ofrelatively thin .metal, the plane of which lies parallel to the plane ofthe side wall 24 of the sign body 25, and with said side wall forms aspace which is partially occupied by the luminous tubes 33 and 34.

By reference to Fi 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that thes ield 46is spaced from the tubes 33 and 34 and is so positioned that blowsdelivered edgewise of the sign body will be warded off, and will notstrikethe tube with any damaging effect. It will also be observed thatthe opposite sidesof the space formed b the shield and the side wall ofthe sign bo y are open, thus making possible to observe the luminoustube outline without an obstruction of'vision by the shield. It willthusbe seen that the device here disclosed provides an illuminated si inwhich the ordinary system of electric g obe illumination may be employeddirectly or indirectly, and in addition to which luminous tubes of rareas ma also be used to outline the sign, may be mounted and housed in amanner to be shielded from the action of the elements while permittingthe luminous tubes to be observed from both sides of the sign.

In the construction of signs having atrim of luminous tubes around theedge thereof it has been quite common to make the body of the signconvex so that the converging sides of the sign will meet along a medianline as represented by the perimeter of the sign body and at which pointthe luminous tube will be mounted. In this form of sign it has beenfound that the light from the luminous tube will tend to cast a shadowon a part of the sign body and the advertising matter carried thereby.For that reason, it has been desirable to shield the sides'of the signfrom the light of the luminous tube, and for that reason, the sign ashere disclosed is formed with a relatively wide edge member 24, whichwill act to shield-the opposite faces of the sign body from theluminoustube, as clearly'seen in Fig. 3 of the drawing, thus theluminous tube will merely act to provide a luminous outline for the signand will not interfere with the illumination or display of theadvertising material upon the opposite faces of the sign body.

It has also been found desirable to slit the protecting shield 46, asindicated at 46' in the drawing, so that the luminous tube may beobserved by persons standing in a position to view the si on itsedgewise position. The width of this slot, however, is not sufiicientlygreat to permit the snow and the sleet to enter the space between theshield and the sign to cause any damage to the tube.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention as now known tome, it will be understood that various changes may be made in thecombination, construction and arrangement of parts by those skilled inthe art, without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

- Having thus-described my invention, what- I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 3 1. A display si 11 for advertising purposes, saidsign inc uding a transformer'box at the top thereof, a connection box atthe bottom thereof, illuminating means within said sign, marginal shieldmembers extending from the transformer box and secured by their oppositeends to the opposite sides thereof whereby a, composite frame structurewill be formed, a luminous tube'electrically' connected to saidconnection box and lying within said marginal shield members andadvertising matter on the side of said sign to be illuminated by saidillumi nating means.

2. In an illuminated sign, a transformer box disposed at the topthereof, av connection box at' the bottom thereof, complementary shieldmembers secured by their opposite ends to the opposite sides of thetransformer box and forming a frame structure thew' with, and luminoustubes extending along the marginal edge of said complementary shieldmembers to be electrically connected with the electrical apparatuswithin the transformer box and the connection box, said frame membersacting to guard said luminous tubes from lateral force.

3. In an illuminated sign, a transformer box disposedat the top thereof,a connection box at the bottom thereof, complementary frame memberssecured by their opposite ends to the opposite sides of the transformerbox and forming a frame structure therewith, luminous tubes adapted toextend along the marginal edge of said complementary frame members to beelectrically connected with the electrical apparatus within thetransformer box and the connection box, and a shield member extendingfrom the opposite sides of the transformer box and aroundthe marginaledge of .the sign body, said configuration thereof, whereby to protectthe shield member being disposed on the outside of the luminous tube andextending in a protecting position with relation thereto.

4. In an illuminated sign, having a sign body, a luminous tube extendingalong the marginal edge thereof, a shield the .plane of which extendsparallel to the marginal edge of the sign body and being spaced adistance therefrom to accommodate the luminous tube between it and themarginal edge of the sign unobstructed view of the tubes from oppositesides of the sign.

7. In an illuminated sign,.the combination ward directions.

WM. B. WILSON.

body, said shield having a slot formed longitudinally thereof and in thesame plane with the luminous tube so that the tube may be viewed throughthe slot when the sign is in an edgewise position.

5. In an illuminated sign, a sign body of a desired thickness, themarginal edge of which is at right angles to the plane of the sign, aluminous tube mounted around the marginal edge of the sign and disposedwith relation thereto, whereby the direct light from the tube will beshielded from the sign by the edge of the sign and the tube will thusprovide an illuminated outline for the sign, and a shield member of flatmaterial extending in spaced relation to the edge of the sign andparallel therewith, said shieldbeing disposed on the outside of andextending along the tube and conforming to the tube from matter movingedgewise of the slgn.

6. An illuminated sign comprising a relatively flat sign body, sets ofsocket members disposed along the edge of said sign body, luminous gastubes adapted to be electrically connected with said socket members,said tubes extending along and being uniformly spaced with relation tothe perimeter of the sign and a flat shield strip lying in a planeparallel with the edge of the sign body and being spaced around andconforming to the contour of the lengths of said tubes whereby to shieldthe same while permitting an

